by Kathleen Weathers, ESA President It’s rather remarkable to realize that it was almost two months ago that we were immersed in the grand experiment of an all-virtual annual meeting.  While there were certainly some hiccups along the way, the staff and meetings committees did a remarkable job making an 180o pivot with panache, as did meeting attendees. With almost…

by Charles Nilon, ESA Awards Committee Chair October is upon us and autumn is in full swing. It’s the season of turning leaves, crisp air … and ESA award nominations! And as the chair of ESA’s Awards Committee, I want to make sure that we all enjoy this season together and celebrate outstanding work (and outstanding people) in ecology by…

In This Issue: Connecting with Congressional Committees to Inform Hearings Webinar recording is available online. Upcoming ESA Webinars ESA will host a webinar with Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally Sept. 30. Congress House and Senate pass bill keeping the federal government through Dec. 11. Executive Branch Forest Service releases final environmental impact statement for exempting the Tongass National Forest from…

Racism and prejudice continue to harm communities of color. ESA stands firm in its commitment to challenge and break down inequities in our community of scientists and practitioners of ecology. Today, we reach out to you with an update towards fulfilling the commitment made in the June 2020 letter to the community. At that time, ESA pledged to redouble its…

In This Issue: Action Alert: Scientific Societies, House Science Committee Push for Research Relief The RISE Act would authorize $26 billion in emergency relief for federal science agencies. Upcoming ESA Webinars ESA will host a webinar with Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally Sept. 30. Congress Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) calls for $55 billion for a new Civilian Conservation Corps. Executive…

Join ESA and 22 other professional societies representing hundreds of thousands of scientists, mathematicians and engineers as part of a collaborative effort to raise awareness of the importance of restoring our academic research enterprise impacted by COVID-19. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), the impacts on the federal enterprise are far-reaching, resulting in lab and user facility closures, canceled…

In This Issue: Register to Vote & Request an Absentee Ballot The general election is less than 70 days away. Visit Vote.org for information about requesting an absentee ballot. Upcoming ESA Webinars ESA will host two webinars with the Federation of American Scientists and Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally. Congress House Science Committee proposes a new postdoctoral fellowship program for…

This blogpost originally appeared on the website for Bruce Byers Consulting. by Bruce Byers The novel coronavirus is holding up a mirror for our species, giving us an opportunity to consider our place in the evolution of life on Earth and question our anthropocentrism. What I’ve missed during this pandemic and shutdown of our usual social and economic life is…

In This Issue: Upcoming ESA Webinars ESA will host two webinars with the Federation of American Scientists and Engineers and Scientists Acting Locally. Congress House passes most spending bills. Executive Branch President Trump signs the Great American Outdoors Act. Courts State attorneys general challenge new Clean Water Act regulations in court. States North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality denies permit…

In This Issue: White House Finalizes Revisions to NEPA Regulations New rules direct agencies to focus on “reasonably foreseeable” effects and set pages limits for environmental impact statements. Federal Government Begins Work on Fifth National Climate Assessment A notice identifies the proposed overarching themes and framework of the next assessment. Congress Full House passes spending bills funding the Departments of…

In This Issue: Congress – House Appropriators Release Fiscal Year 2021 Spending Bills for Science Agencies – House Democrats Outline Climate Action Plan – Full House Passes Infrastructure Bill Executive Branch ICE regulations suspend visas for international students attending universities that become online-only amid the coronavirus pandemic. Courts Dominion Energy and Duke Energy cancel Atlantic Coast Pipeline. International U.N. Environment…

By Pamela Templer, VP of Education and Human Resources, ESA and Teresa Mourad, Director of Education and Diversity Programs, ESA “I can’t breathe.” These last words uttered by George Floyd galvanized protests against the ongoing racism embedded in the systems and culture in the United States of America and galvanized a movement that demanded critical self-reflection. We all know that…